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Post by iandychesterfc on Dec 27, 2017 12:55:44 GMT
I think we need leadership in the boardroom, and a figurehead from the boardroom in public. Mark Maguire comes in for a lot of stick purely because he is the public figure. He is paid to be responsible for all aspects of the club, but should not have to do all the work. We need a 5 year plan tied in to the "sustainable football club at the highest position" mission statement of the club. This should be a root and branch operation starting now, and should involve people from all aspects of the club (supporters, sponsors, governance committe, current staff, current board members, former committee members, former board members) and should be in place for the start of nect season. I would look at all aspects of the club including Football Community Fundraising Commercial Facilities CFU inc matchday experience Communication Junior Blues Academy Administration Disabled Seniors Etc And where no committee exists one should be formed. All committees should meet regularly and feed back progress to the supporters on a fixed basis. Anybody putting up roadblocks on ideas should be challenged, anybody not inputting should be replaced. There is more to being a director, volunteer or committee member than doing two hours on a matchday in your tie, and boasting about it on a CV or twitter biog. This sharing of the workload was what got us through the early days. It also gave people a sense of ownership and belonging that I feel has long since gone. Weve had that feeling before, and the folks who feel wanted and appreciated become your best advertisers through their preaching the gospel. On the pitch success helps a great deal, but it isnt the be all and end all. It is a virtuous circle, the more energy and positivity off the pitch, the better we will become on it. This takes drive an effort though - i agree MM is getting a hammering because the board are anonymous.
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Post by trev on Dec 27, 2017 13:07:18 GMT
I think we need leadership in the boardroom, and a figurehead from the boardroom in public. Mark Maguire comes in for a lot of stick purely because he is the public figure. He is paid to be responsible for all aspects of the club, but should not have to do all the work. We need a 5 year plan tied in to the "sustainable football club at the highest position" mission statement of the club. This should be a root and branch operation starting now, and should involve people from all aspects of the club (supporters, sponsors, governance committe, current staff, current board members, former committee members, former board members) and should be in place for the start of nect season. I would look at all aspects of the club including Football Community Fundraising Commercial Facilities CFU inc matchday experience Communication Junior Blues Academy Administration Disabled Seniors Etc And where no committee exists one should be formed. All committees should meet regularly and feed back progress to the supporters on a fixed basis. Anybody putting up roadblocks on ideas should be challenged, anybody not inputting should be replaced. There is more to being a director, volunteer or committee member than doing two hours on a matchday in your tie, and boasting about it on a CV or twitter biog. This sharing of the workload was what got us through the early days. It also gave people a sense of ownership and belonging that I feel has long since gone. Weve had that feeling before, and the folks who feel wanted and appreciated become your best advertisers through their preaching the gospel. On the pitch success helps a great deal, but it isnt the be all and end all. It is a virtuous circle, the more energy and positivity off the pitch, the better we will become on it. Completely agree NWAS. Looking in from the outside right now, (as a CFU member and season ticket holder) the Club appears to be run in a day to day basis with no strategic direction whatsoever. Over the last few months some reactionary initiatives have been implemented (e.g. bucket collections) and desperately last minute initiatives such as Cestrian 10, but no long term plan at all. I know there are some really good things being carried out the club, but these all seem disconnected and not being harnessed effectively. At the moment you do get a sense of inertia, with the club going through the motions at best, with an inability to decide what to do next. This is classically demonstrated with the lack of action in dealing with Jon McCarthy in anything like a timely or sensible fashion, falling back on the everything will be ok attitude, but with no real thought of dealing with the potential worst case scenario - which of course we now have. Like others I've been to the CFU website to see if I am wrong, but unfortunately there is nothing here which demonstrates any forward thinking or vision, and the minutes of the latest meeting says it all in terms of the lack progress on tangible initiatives such as improvements to ground facilities etc. I notice one very simple measure has finally been acted on and each Board member has been allocated areas of responsibility, and as Jonny Hughes apparently says, “The next step for the board on this is to provide a detailed action plan for each item, taking in current and past data, to project realistic targets for growth and to outline a plan for our members on how these targets will be achieved and, most importantly, who will help us achieve them. Items will be monitored and progress reported on regularly" . We can only hope Jonny is right, but significantly there are no timescales or milestones for this work to be undertaken. I also feel i’ve heard this kind of thing before, and without a credible long term strategy, all we are likely to end up with are a series of competing objectives which cannot be effectively implemented .
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Post by iandychesterfc on Dec 27, 2017 13:15:26 GMT
I think one of the main problems is the lack of experience and character at the club, Olorenshaw left a huge gap when he left and those who remain are a very meek bunch who work well under direction but cannot lead.
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Post by tonya on Dec 27, 2017 15:47:10 GMT
What we shouldn't do is spend money we don't have in an attempt to stay up. That would put at risk any chance of a competitive team for next season. Whatever league we are in. Our budget will already be down by £80k, increased by our losses from lower crowds. If MB doesn't have a contract requiring a pay off, I'd get rid now and make Shaw caretaker until end of the season. We our going down this season. We can't afford to put next season at risk too. I'd fear for our club if we did. You may get what you wish for which would be tragic and a disaster for the club as fans would most probably give up in their droves. Success breeds success and visa versa. We sailed up the leagues and the momentum kept the fans engaged and supportive. If we were to lumber for some years in the C North our fan base would shrink and we really could go under. The next few weeks will determine what the ambitions and expectations of the board are I would hope that they will see that staying up is critical and depending on the terms of Bignot's contract he would be off. However if he has been given a two year deal then we would be in the mire. No one seems to know the answer to this.
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Post by Maravilla on Dec 27, 2017 16:04:11 GMT
What we shouldn't do is spend money we don't have in an attempt to stay up. That would put at risk any chance of a competitive team for next season. Whatever league we are in. Our budget will already be down by £80k, increased by our losses from lower crowds. If MB doesn't have a contract requiring a pay off, I'd get rid now and make Shaw caretaker until end of the season. We our going down this season. We can't afford to put next season at risk too. I'd fear for our club if we did. You may get what you wish for which would be tragic and a disaster for the club as fans would most probably give up in their droves. Success breeds success and visa versa. We sailed up the leagues and the momentum kept the fans engaged and supportive. If we were to lumber for some years in the C North our fan base would shrink and we really could go under. The next few weeks will determine what the ambitions and expectations of the board are I would hope that they will see that staying up is critical and depending on the terms of Bignot's contract he would be off. However if he has been given a two year deal then we would be in the mire. No one seems to know the answer to this. Mark Maguire said at a recent CFU meeting that Bignot's contract was until the end of the season, but both parties intend to extend it at the end of the season.
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Post by Si on Dec 27, 2017 16:18:07 GMT
You may get what you wish for which would be tragic and a disaster for the club as fans would most probably give up in their droves. Success breeds success and visa versa. We sailed up the leagues and the momentum kept the fans engaged and supportive. If we were to lumber for some years in the C North our fan base would shrink and we really could go under. The next few weeks will determine what the ambitions and expectations of the board are I would hope that they will see that staying up is critical and depending on the terms of Bignot's contract he would be off. However if he has been given a two year deal then we would be in the mire. No one seems to know the answer to this. Mark Maguire said at a recent CFU meeting that Bignot's contract was until the end of the season, but both parties intend to extend it at the end of the season. Bignot has always had his work cut out but I think we all expected to put up a decent fight come the end of the season. To be so far behind before the turn of the year indicates that despite some initial causes for optimism that he hasn't had the desired affect. What kind of reaction he gets from now until the end of the season will matter when it comes to deciding whether it's worth allowing him to build his own team in the Conf North. Worth remembering that he got Solihull out of that league, but if we go down with a whimper then he is unlikely to have the full backing of the fans and we can't go into another season with a fans split over a manager.
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Post by Harry Lime on Dec 27, 2017 16:22:27 GMT
What we shouldn't do is spend money we don't have in an attempt to stay up. That would put at risk any chance of a competitive team for next season. Whatever league we are in. Our budget will already be down by £80k, increased by our losses from lower crowds. If MB doesn't have a contract requiring a pay off, I'd get rid now and make Shaw caretaker until end of the season. We our going down this season. We can't afford to put next season at risk too. I'd fear for our club if we did. You may get what you wish for which would be tragic and a disaster for the club as fans would most probably give up in their droves. Success breeds success and visa versa. We sailed up the leagues and the momentum kept the fans engaged and supportive. If we were to lumber for some years in the C North our fan base would shrink and we really could go under. The next few weeks will determine what the ambitions and expectations of the board are I would hope that they will see that staying up is critical and depending on the terms of Bignot's contract he would be off. However if he has been given a two year deal then we would be in the mire. No one seems to know the answer to this. Where did I say that I wished for relegation? What I don't want to see is putting our future in jeopardy by throwing money after a very probably futile attempt to stay up. If we did that I believe there's a good chance we'd go down again. Alty, Hyde and Ferriby have all done that in recent years. Regardless of ambition, the expectation is we will go down. York spent a fortune and still went down. Regarding Bignot's contract. It was stated at a recent CFU meeting that there was an agreement lasting to the end of the current season, and looking to extend if both sides wanted that.
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Post by tonya on Dec 27, 2017 21:06:51 GMT
Drastic circumstances require drastic action. If the manager has lost the players then either he is deemed to have failed or the players have. As supporters we aren't privy to the details and its impossible to form a truly objective opinion. We are left to base our opinions on tittle tattle, snippets and intuition. My own intuition is the board have a massive issue/conundrum to solve. They ARE aware of the details and therefore will decide on what is the best way forward. The choice is : Either: 1. If there is a clause to pay off the manager prior to the end of the season and side with the players. Appoint a new manager or player manger from within and trust they can keep us up, without any more expense. OR 2. To stick with the manager and trust his judgement and accept what appears to be an inevitable outcome on present form: relegation. The manager then has a wholesale change of playing staff and we and the board trust him to return us to the Conference in one or two seasons.
I know what my decision would be.
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Post by waggoner on Dec 27, 2017 21:15:08 GMT
No we dont accept relegation although it seems likely. We dont accept it and we bloody fight it (someone needs to tell the playets this), on the pitch at least. Off the field we definitely need a plan for what seems probable. But don't hold your breath. Fighting relegation is a great idea, but we have plenty of shortcomings on that front; We have a mixture of Conference standard players, some only Con/n at best and some are Evostick standard. We are playing some young players who are not ready for this level. Couple that with players who are over the hill x 10 and those who are just walking sicknotes stealing a wage, and it becomes obvious why we are struggling. When we do put it together we can look a decent side. However this is very rare. A team can function with a player or two miss- firing on the day, not many can function with 4 or 5 off the pace (which is often the case with this group of players). Without wholesale changes in January we are screwed. This as some would say very pessimistic, but taking into account our real weaknesses relegation is probable. Taking into account our status as a fan owned club with dwindling crowds maybe we would be better suited playing at a lower level. We Cannot complete at this level, we may struggle in Con/n too given the clubs at that level
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Post by bonecrusher on Dec 28, 2017 7:31:09 GMT
So are you saying we just give in then?
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Post by sqzl on Dec 28, 2017 7:47:33 GMT
Rebuild off the field now, give MB the rest of the season. I don't think sacking him now and potentially paying three lots of 40-55k per annum wages to managers is good prep. We'd be bleeding funds dry before we even get going next year. That said if we go down it won't be like last time we played Conf North, we won't be the big boys any more. If fans don't turn up either, it could be a genuine struggle.
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Post by Frank Owen’s Paintbrush on Dec 28, 2017 8:17:37 GMT
So are you saying we just give in then? Why would it be giving in? Relegation isn't the end - look at Halifax.
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Post by oldboneze on Dec 28, 2017 8:29:42 GMT
I think we need leadership in the boardroom, and a figurehead from the boardroom in public. Mark Maguire comes in for a lot of stick purely because he is the public figure. He is paid to be responsible for all aspects of the club, but should not have to do all the work.We need a 5 year plan tied in to the "sustainable football club at the highest position" mission statement of the club. This should be a root and branch operation starting now, and should involve people from all aspects of the club (supporters, sponsors, governance committe, current staff, current board members, former committee members, former board members) and should be in place for the start of nect season. I would look at all aspects of the club including Football Community Fundraising Commercial Facilities CFU inc matchday experience Communication Junior Blues Academy Administration Disabled Seniors Etc And where no committee exists one should be formed. All committees should meet regularly and feed back progress to the supporters on a fixed basis. Anybody putting up roadblocks on ideas should be challenged, anybody not inputting should be replaced. There is more to being a director, volunteer or committee member than doing two hours on a matchday in your tie, and boasting about it on a CV or twitter biog. This sharing of the workload was what got us through the early days. It also gave people a sense of ownership and belonging that I feel has long since gone.
Weve had that feeling before, and the folks who feel wanted and appreciated become your best advertisers through their preaching the gospel. On the pitch success helps a great deal, but it isnt the be all and end all. It is a virtuous circle, the more energy and positivity off the pitch, the better we will become on it. Totally agree with you on the two points I have highlighted. Problem is that MM seems to want to do all the work (or at least make all the decisions) himself. He, and we, must empower our volunteers to make decisions and then get on with implementing them.
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Post by midfieldgeneral on Dec 28, 2017 8:36:24 GMT
It really makes my blood boil to see these useless muppets, some on 2 year contracts and a decent wage, displaying a half arsed attitude on the pitch. I just hope there is a relegation clause, in the 2 year contracts, so as this shower can be shown the door. Wholesale changes need to be made. And we need to start identifying young fit, physically strong , mobile, competitive players, with sell on potential for the Conference North. Great escape my arse, people must think the fans are stupid.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 28, 2017 11:39:34 GMT
I think we need leadership in the boardroom, and a figurehead from the boardroom in public. Mark Maguire comes in for a lot of stick purely because he is the public figure. He is paid to be responsible for all aspects of the club, but should not have to do all the work.We need a 5 year plan tied in to the "sustainable football club at the highest position" mission statement of the club. This should be a root and branch operation starting now, and should involve people from all aspects of the club (supporters, sponsors, governance committe, current staff, current board members, former committee members, former board members) and should be in place for the start of nect season. I would look at all aspects of the club including Football Community Fundraising Commercial Facilities CFU inc matchday experience Communication Junior Blues Academy Administration Disabled Seniors Etc And where no committee exists one should be formed. All committees should meet regularly and feed back progress to the supporters on a fixed basis. Anybody putting up roadblocks on ideas should be challenged, anybody not inputting should be replaced. There is more to being a director, volunteer or committee member than doing two hours on a matchday in your tie, and boasting about it on a CV or twitter biog. This sharing of the workload was what got us through the early days. It also gave people a sense of ownership and belonging that I feel has long since gone.
Weve had that feeling before, and the folks who feel wanted and appreciated become your best advertisers through their preaching the gospel. On the pitch success helps a great deal, but it isnt the be all and end all. It is a virtuous circle, the more energy and positivity off the pitch, the better we will become on it. Totally agree with you on the two points I have highlighted. Problem is that MM seems to want to do all the work (or at least make all the decisions) himself. He, and we, must empower our volunteers to make decisions and then get on with implementing them.
Volunteer empowerment and engagement is a massive fail for me with this current group. A well organised, engaged and happy volunteer force was key to early successes, and must be one of the priorities of the board. I was very surprised to see that apart from AM having HR responsibilities towards volunteers and paid staff, there was no volunteer co-ordinator or any director responsible for volunteers on the portfolio document. Without volunteers CFC could not function. The lack of love and attention given to volunteers by the club has seen an exodus, with "fed up of being taken for granted" a massive problem for some I have spoken to, "ideas not being supported or implemented", and "treated badly" other problems. As I have put in many posts before, this is the first off the field issue that should be addressed. When a long time volunteer like 'Oldboneze' above says what he says then this needs doing urgently.
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